The Experiment
by Grissom1
Summary: After Sara and Grissom end their secret relationship, Sara tries to hide in her work only to discover she is pregnant.  Will Grissom discover the truth and if so, how will he react?


The Experiment (CSI-GSR)

Sara volunteered before anyone had time to consider Ecklie's request or rather demand. They looked at her in disbelief. Who would want to work one and a half shifts each day? Now, to be more accurate it was only 5 additional hours to a regular shift once the dinner break was considered but still that was a lot. Grissom scowled at her acceptance of the additional work load and started to verbalize his discontent when Ecklie smiled and said, "Fine. Thank you, Miss Sidle for making this easy on everyone. I will expect you to begin tomorrow." And with that he left as quickly as he entered. Grissom followed Ecklie and began talking with him as they walked down the hall.

"Well, that is the fastest I've seen Ecklie leave us." replied Catherine who was a bit relieved that Sara had volunteered. She had enough guilt from leaving Lindsey with a sitter and she knew that given her seniority that she would have been expected to do just as Sara had done, volunteer if that is what you call it.

"Sara, are you sure you want to be doing this?" asked Greg.

"Yeah Sara, I think you should have at least let Ecklie sweat a bit. It's his fault that their shift is short a person. He is practically running off the day crew. " chimed in Nick.

"I'm pretty sure that none of you wanted the job and besides, I don't mind. It's not like I have a spouse or a child or a life beyond these walls. I don't need much sleep anyway. This is only temporary until the position is filled." replied Sara as she got up from the table.

"Well, that is if he doesn't run another person off" quipped Greg. He grabbed Sara's arm as she was passing him and added "Does this mean that you think I have a life outside this office or were you referring to Nick?"

Sara just smiled.

She started to walk away without answering but she didn't feel like teasing Greg today. "Look at it this way; you have more of a life than me." Greg didn't know whether to smile at her answer or not but being Greg he followed after the others. Sara heard him saying the other guys, "see I have a life." This made Sara smile.

"I do you know" shouted Greg as the others began returning to their work stations.

Grissom returned and headed directly into his office where he slammed the door abruptly behind him.

"Don't think Grissom had any idea what Ecklie was about to ask us from the sound of that door" said Catherine.

"Be glad he's in there by himself" stated Nick.

Grissom opened his office door and shouted, "Everyone back to work, and Sara I need to see you."

Sara squared her shoulders and headed to Grissom's office "See you later guys" she called over her shoulder. "Don't bother to include me for dinner plans. You guys go ahead." And with that, Sara closed the door.

Catherine stared at Sara's back. Sara's offer didn't make the others feel good. Catherine thought that Sara had found a life outside the office finally at least it had appeared that way for awhile. They were beginning to see a new Sara. She had stopped hanging around the lab after hours and sometimes she was running past the guys as they were leaving for the morning. Now, the old Sara had emerged. Catherine wondered what had happened.

Grissom sat down at his desk and looked directly at Sara but said nothing. The silence was deafening but it continued. _He's mad_ she thought. A_nd he's not going to say anything until he calms down. If I stand he will be brief and I can make a quick exit._

"Sit down, Sara"

This was not going well. "Grissom…"

"First of all when Ecklie comes down here and ask anything from any of my CSI folks, they are to check with me before accepting any requests or demands."

"I wasn't aware that he hadn't done so since you called us into the meeting room and I just assumed that was what we were there for when Ecklie walked in."

"No Sara, I was going to get updates from everyone on the Thomas case."

Grissom sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. He could feel the tension in his neck and knew that another migraine was coming on.

Sara stared at him and knew that she was giving him another migraine. Wasn't that what he has said to her before? She could hear his words echoing in her head, "I didn't get migraines until I became involved with you." One word had led to another and the relationship had ended as quickly has it had begun. She didn't care. He had been hers secretly for a little while at least. It would have to do. The hurtful things they had said to one another could not be taken back.

"Grissom, I don't know why this even bothers you. It's not like we haven't had to help out another shift before when they were shorthanded."

His jaw jerked as he heard her reply. She doesn't realize what's at stake here. Ecklie had every intention of starting someone part time and then making them switch to the other shift. Ecklie was so hard up to find replacements; he was even willing to accept Sara. Ecklie had made it known to everyone including Sara, that he disliked her and felt she was a troublemaker. Sara would not be able to work under Ecklie. She would be written up for insubordination within a week. Grissom then sighed, that was even being hopeful on his part that she would last that long.

"If there is nothing else, I need to get back to the Thomas case."

"Sara..."

"Yeah"

"Did you volunteer because…"

She interrupted him before he could bring up the discussion she had been dreading. "No Grissom. I volunteered to protect everyone else on the team. They are the closest thing I have to a family and I knew I could do the work." Sara stood up and began to walk out but as she was leaving she added over her shoulder "Besides, I had a life outside this office once, but not anymore." And with that she closed the door.

He wondered if she had meant for that to hurt. It did. Grissom stared at the empty space in the room. It never ceased to amaze him how her presence could fill a room when she was with him but once she was gone there was such a void. He longed to run after her but to do what or to say he didn't know. He cursed under his breath at the mess he had made of their relationship. He wished he could have taken back the things he had said to her. Why did he push her away when it was Sara that he needed. Sara was like his air. Without her, he felt as though he was suffocating. The office that he once poured himself into was now painful to be in. He dreaded coming to work if he could not be around her, to work with her, to bounce ideas off and the smell of her hair… He groaned inwardly at the thought of never getting that close to Sara again.

Months went by and Sara fell into the new work routine rather easily. She didn't seem to mind since it kept her mind off Grissom. She loved her work but it was her personal life she hated. What personal life, thought Sara. One would have to have a personal life to hate it. She had lost that when the relationship with Gil ended. At least she had made him lose the office bet on how long it would take before she was reprimanded or worst fired by Ecklie.

It seems Ecklie was not having any luck finding a permanent replacement. He didn't seem in a rush now that Sara was helping his shift with the workload. As much as he detested Sara, she was good and…fast. Sara could work a crime scene faster than any of the others and she was quick to analyze the data and return a report. He initially thought that Sara was getting the night crew to help her but then dismissed this idea when he recalled how Grissom reacted to his request. He knew if he had gone through appropriate channels for the request, Grissom would have been quick to point out his numerous mistakes with his crew. To his surprise, Sidle had saved his ass. He would thank her if he didn't detest her.

Sara lifted her head off the porcelain tub and moaned. She wasn't sure how long she had laid there in the floor. She remembered coming home and crying herself to sleep on the couch. The doctor's report kept rolling around inside her mind… pregnant… pregnant. How could she have been so stupid to let this happen? She knew she had been feeling a bit run down but contributed it to the many hours on the job and then there had been that stomach virus going around in the lab. But pregnant!! She had felt so guilty for not taking the time to slow down and try to understand what her body had been trying to tell her for weeks, no months as her doctor had said. She was now in her 3rd month and the nausea had begun with a vengeance. Her doctor had given her prenatal vitamins to take along with another prescription to control the sickness.

"I don't think its working" moaned Sara. She had thought that she would be feeling better since she had stayed in all weekend and taken the medicine but still she couldn't seem to keep anything down not even liquids. She called her OBGYN and talked with the nurse. The nurse told her it would be a couple of weeks before she could get in to see her doctor again. It seemed there was a shortage for OB doctors and since Sara was only in her first trimester it wasn't an emergency. The nurse gave her a list of precautions and told her that if her symptoms got worse to go to an emergency room. Sara was concerned about the baby but the nurse sadly told her that some pregnancies didn't work out and a miscarriage usually happened in the first trimester. Great! How much guilt could she face now with this knowledge?

Sara had to make a plan about her work schedule. She would have to cut back. How was she going to pull that off without tipping anyone off? Her head began to hurt. It seems Sara was experiencing every pregnancy symptom at the same time. What are the odds of that and didn't she feel lucky! Sara pulled herself together and stepped into the shower to get ready for her shift. She would have to figure this out later. She was going to be late for work.

Sara hurried into the building. She had never been late and she didn't want to give Ecklie any excuse to complain to Grissom. Grissom… she didn't know how she was going to handle him. Sooner or later he was going to find out. How would he react? She stopped and stared into his office. His back was to her so she didn't seem to worry that he would see her standing there. Would he want this child? She quickly brushed a tear from her eye and headed to her station. Greg stood and watched her as she hurried off.

Sara had been meeting with Ecklie every morning to discuss her cases with him so he could in turn update the other investigators. This lasted for a month until Sara became tired of the other CSI investigators calling her on the cases. It seems something had gotten lost in translation from Ecklie to the staff. It figures, Sara grunted. From that point Sara met directly with the others and things were easier. She didn't mind doing this since she was able to ditch the talks with Ecklie. Ecklie hadn't bothered with the change Sara had made as long as the shift ran smoothly. Besides, one screw up and he could blame it on Sidle. This was just too perfect, he chuckled.

Greg stood outside Grissom's office that morning waiting for his chance to talk with him. He fidgeted from one foot to the next hoping that no one would notice him.

"Greg, is there a reason why you're lurking outside my door?"

Greg swallowed and walked into the office and shut the door. He then closed the shades. Greg's demeanor and actions sent up red flags to Grissom. This was not like Greg.

"What's wrong?" Grissom said as he leaned forward in his chair.

"I need to talk with you about Sara."

Grissom lost all expression. He hadn't seen much of Sara in several weeks.

"I'm listening."

"Something's wrong with her."

"What do you mean?" Was she hurt? Grissom became very agitated.

"She's not well."

Grissom seemed to exhale the air he had been holding in. He was annoyed now. Greg was playing with him. "Greg…"

"I've been watching her….not like that" he quickly added as Grissom had given him that perverted look; something he had gotten use to when it came to Sara. Everyone knew Greg was infatuated with Sara.

"She's exhausted. She doesn't eat. She's lost a lot of weight- her clothes don't fit as well anymore." Again the perverted look but he didn't care. He was genuinely concerned about Sara and Grissom should be too.

"I'm telling you, something is wrong."

"Greg…"

"She messed up in the lab."

"And you've never made a mistake?"

"We're talking about Sara. Sara doesn't make mistakes and the other night she made a mistake twice on the same case. I watched her run some tests. The first time she caught her mistake but the second time she didn't. I later reran the test and switched the results so she wouldn't know."

"That is not like Sara" said Grissom and then he realized, Greg was right. Something was wrong.

"I'll check in on her today, Greg."

Greg nodded his head and started for the door.

"Greg"

"Yeah Grissom"

"Thanks for looking after her."

Greg's demeanor seemed to lighten and he left. Grissom headed out the door. He began searching for Sara and then he noticed that the others were also gone. Grissom picked up his phone and called Catherine.

"Willows"

"Is Sara with you?"

"Yeah, since you didn't bother to check on the cases that came in this morning, the guys and I came out to the crime scene that Sara has been working all day. Brass asked us to come out and help since Sara was out here by herself and they've found additional bodies."

Grissom growled at the thought of Ecklie sending Sara out to work a case on her own. He had heard about all the work Sara had been doing lately for the first shift.

"Catherine, I'm coming out there."

"There's no need. We have it under…" but Grissom had already hung up. Catherine stared at her cell phone and wondered what that was all about. Grissom had been doing some crazy things lately so she shrugged it off.

Nick and Warrick were finishing up the back perimeter and with Catherine's help, Sara was beginning to see an end to a wrap up of the crime scene. All she wanted to do was go home and lay down. She didn't know how she was going to make it for the remainder of her shift. Remainder? Her real shift was really just beginning.

"Hey, what do you say we go to that great pizza joint near here when we finish and pick up a pizza to take back with us for dinner" suggested Nick.

"I'm in" replied Warrick.

"Fine with me" said Catherine.

"What about you Sara?" asked Nick.

"None for me guys." Said Sara as her stomach lurched at the thought of eating.

"Well, we better agree on the toppings now because Grissom is on his way out here and we all know he likes the weird stuff." Catherine said as she watched Sara's face turn ashen white.

"Sara, are you okay?" She walked over and stood beside Sara and placed her hand on her arm. The thought of Grissom here right now made Sara sick. Everything was making her sick. Now her head really began to pound. She just needed to get to her field kit and get a drink of water. Sara leaned down to pick up the pack but when she started to rise, everything started to go black.

"Sara!" cried Catherine as she tried to break her fall. Nick and Warrick ran to Sara's side. Some uniform officers saw the commotion and informed Brass who ran over to try to assist. Catherine was able to arouse Sara and she began to move.

"Give her some room, you guys! Someone call an ambulance." cried Catherine.

"No!" Sara grabbed at Catherine's arm and pleaded with her.

"Sara, you know protocol. If an officer becomes injured or ill and loses consciousness on the job, they have to be checked out by the hospital"

Brass quietly told her.

"It's just a stomach virus. I've already been to the doctor last week. Check with Ecklie. I just need to go home and rest" cried Sara.

"Call it in to Grissom." Brass told the others.

"I'm telling you, I'm not going" insisted Sara.

Brass tried again. "Sara, your supervisor has to sign off on the medical report. Don't worry. Catherine can go with you and then take you home. She can give Grissom the report later."

"I said no!" Sara struggled to get up but then felt the dizziness come over her again. Warrick removed his bandana, soaked it with water and placed it on Sara's forehead. He then got up and looked at Catherine. If Catherine wasn't going to insist, then he was. Grissom would have their hide if Sara didn't go. Catherine must have read his mind since she handed him her keys. He left to drive the vehicle around.

"Sara, I'm going to drive you to the hospital." Catherine told Sara.

She was still protesting when Nick lifted her up and placed her in the front passenger seat beside Catherine who had already jumped in.

They drove away leaving the others standing there. Brass looked at the others and told them he was calling Grissom.

On the drive, Sara again pleaded with Catherine. This time she was sobbing.

Catherine did not know what to do. "Sara, give me one good reason why I shouldn't take you to the hospital."

"I don't have the stomach virus. I'm pregnant."

Then everything fell into place. The reason why Sara didn't want to go to the hospital was because Grissom would find out from the medical report that she was pregnant. She didn't blame Sara now.

"Sara, I'm going to take you home and I'll try to come up with something."

Sara began to fill Catherine in on her conversations with the nurse and how she couldn't get another appointment for at least two weeks. Catherine remembered all too well those kinds of conversations. She had miscarried both before and after Lindsey. She still remembered the pain and the guilt she felt.

"Sara, you know the nurse is right. Sometimes, if there is a problem with the pregnancy your body rejects the embryo."

"It doesn't make it any less painful" choked Sara. She closed her eyes and remained silent for the remainder of the trip. She had promised Catherine she would go directly to bed and she did just that.

Catherine gave her something for her headache and closed the bedroom door. Now what to do, thought Catherine. Suddenly her phone rang and she cringed, Grissom.

"Hi Grissom, you caught me at a bad time."

"Where's Sara?" He seemed to be asking that a lot tonight.

"Grissom, I don't think she wants anyone else to be bothered with all of this. I'll make sure she is checked out and then I'll take her home." Another lie to the boss thought Catherine. It wasn't the first she had fudged to Grissom before.

"Catherine, you can't protect Sara… but I can"

"She's at home."

"Brass phoned me and told me what happened. Why isn't she at the hospital?"

"It's just a virus and besides she saw a doctor last week."

"I'm on my way."

"It really isn't necessary. "Hold on there is someone at the door." It was Grissom. She was busted; she didn't like the look at Grissom's face.

"Why did you come here instead of heading to the hospital?" asked Catherine looking bewildered.

"I know Sara." Not as much as I do, thought Catherine. Grissom started for the bedroom door but Catherine caught his arm and motioned for him to move away from the door. They stood facing each other.

"I need to tell you something."

Grissom was getting those knots in his stomach again. This did not sound good.

Catherine started to open her mouth and then stopped. She stared at Grissom and then her eyes looked toward the bedroom door and then back at Grissom. "How did you know where the bedroom was?"

"I…" Grissom need time to think. He knew where the bedroom was because he had slept there before. In there was heaven. Out here was living hell. He suspected Catherine was finding things out. He tried to formulate a plan in his brain but he was tired.

"Have you two been seeing each other?"

"Yes."

Catherine seemed a bit relieved by his answer. The question now was, how Grissom would react to the news. Should she tell him or let him go in and speak with Sara. She couldn't risk getting Sara upset. "She's pregnant."

Grissom felt like he had been hit in the stomach. Catherine took hold of his arm quickly. "Sit down. I don't think I can break your fall."

Grissom sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands.

"How?" Was all he could say. Catherine gave him one of her 'How can you be so smart and be so dumb' looks.

"I didn't mean that. God, Catherine. I know how but what I meant to say was how far along is she?"

"She is going into her 4th month in a couple of weeks but she's having some complications."

"What kind of…" Grissom swallowed hard and anguish shown in his eyes.

Catherine knew then that he loved Sara. There was no doubt about that. "Gil, I don't need to ask who the father is, do I?"

"No."

He ran his hands through his hair. "Why didn't she tell me?"

"Gil, if it helps she's only found out about the pregnancy since her OBGYN appointment this past week. She hadn't been eating or sleeping and couldn't seem to keep anything down. She finally realized she might be pregnant so she got up the nerve and went."

"You mentioned complications."

"Sara gets dizzy very easy. She lost consciousness at the crime scene today. She can't seem to get the nausea under control. She suffers from headaches and now this afternoon, she has been cramping."

"That's it, I'm taking her to the doctor."

"Gil, there isn't anything they can do for her. Perhaps, change her medication for the nausea but ultimately if her body is going to reject this pregnancy then there isn't anything any doctor can do."

Grissom did not like that answer but he knew that Catherine was right.

"What happened between the two of you?"

"Me."

"Well, you don't have to say much more than that." It was Grissom's turn to give Catherine one of those 'why do you think I am such a geek.' It had been his fault that he pushed Sara away. He groaned inwardly again.

"Because I am" said Grissom.

Catherine looked puzzled at Grissom's off the wall statement but he dismissed her looks and looked away.

"Did she tell you about us?"

"No. I didn't push her either. Gil, she is under a lot of stress right now and this is not good for the baby or for Sara. She has a lot of guilt right now for pushing herself so much these past few months and I am afraid that Sara is not going to be able to handle a miscarriage right now."

"What are we going to do?"

"Well, it makes it easier now that you know. She was so insistent on not going to the hospital this evening because you would have found out through the medical report."

Grissom looked at Catherine and again groaned. His brain was slowly catching up the events of the evening. "I've messed up again"

"What do you mean?" asked Catherine.

"If Sara finds out that I know about the baby, she is going to put up a wall that I won't be able to tear down. She has to be seen by a medical doctor tonight because Ecklie got notified as well."

"Well, what are we going to do?"

Grissom closed his eyes and then looked at Catherine. "I have a plan."

Grissom got up from the couch and proceeded to place a call. "I need you to come to Sara's apartment." Grissom continued to talk with the person on the other line filling him in on what had transpired.

Grissom hung up and then returned to Catherine. "Doc Robbins is going to come and see Sara."

"You're good and we thought you didn't have it in you to fudge a report or two."

Grissom started to ask her what she knew about fudging reports but decided to save it for another day.

"He's going to complete a medical report for Ecklie and myself. He knows what is going on and agreed to act as Sara's doctor. You can't let Sara know that I am here or that I had anything to do with this. If she thinks for a second that I know that she is pregnant, she won't let me try to fix it between us. Once Doc hands me the report, which by the way, will list her illness as the stomach virus, I will be able to see Sara and try to smooth things over with her. This is my one shot Catherine and I can't afford to blow it."

Doc arrived and set the plan in motion. Catherine had gone into the bedroom earlier and checked on Sara. She was beginning to wake up so Catherine told her about the plan. Sara thought that it just might work and actually looked relieved. Doc came into the room and sat down beside Sara. "Catherine filled me in on what's been going on. Sara, she had to tell me about the pregnancy. She mentioned that you have been very nausea and can't seem to keep anything down."

Sara handed him her prescription and he looked at it. "There is something else that I can give you. Now, for any other problems. Have you had any break through bleeding?"

"No" Sara's eyes began to water.

"Cramping?"

"Yes" choked Sara.

Doc took Sara's hand and squeezed it. "Sara, it's not uncommon for some women to have cramps during their pregnancy."

Sara's eyes turned to Catherine.

"Absolutely, but they eventually went away in a couple of weeks." Catherine assured her. Another fudged lie but if it would make Sara feel any better then why not.

"I am putting you on complete bed rest for the next two weeks until your appointment with your OB. Got it?"

Sara nodded in agreement.

"I mean strict bed rest. You can take a shower, go to the bathroom and then back to bed. No stress. That means no phone calls or contact from the office. I will write that in the report. Don't worry I have no intention of mentioning the pregnancy. I am treating you for the stomach virus even if they checked the prescription they will still think that is for the effects of the virus. Also, Sara I can just look at you and see that you are underweight. You have to eat three meals a day and take the prenatal. No exceptions.

Got it?"

Again Sara nodded in agreement.

"Finally, I am going to give you something to help you sleep. You need lots of sleep Sara."

"What about the effects on the baby?"

"One small sleeping pill won't hurt you. I promise Sara. Now, for the headaches, I want to check your blood pressure. "

Doc proceeded to place the cuff on her arm and checked the pulse. He smiled and looked at them both. "It's nice to have a patient with an actual pulse. That doesn't mean you can complain about my bedside manner." This made Sara smile. Doc finished his examination of Sara and added blood pressure medicine to the list.

"But, I've never had a problem before."

"You've never been pregnant before and mentally and physically exhausted either."

Sara did not reply but closed her eyes and fought back the tears. She hadn't really taken care of herself lately and now the baby might pay for her mistakes. Catherine could sense the guilt coming back again and he told Doc she would run out to get the prescriptions filled. Instead, he told Catherine to stay with Sara and he would be sure to have them sent there. Sara thanked Doc and hugged him before he left.

"Rest and follow my instructions. If you need me, Catherine knows how to reach me. I brought some sleeping pills with me and I am going to send Catherine back in a minute to give them to you. I want you take one now. Understand, Sara?"

Again Sara bobbed her head up and down.

"Why can't she be this agreeable at work?" Doc patted Sara on the shoulder and left.

Catherine returned with the water and handed the pill to Sara. Sara was so tired. She didn't think she would need anything to help her sleep. She also knew that Catherine would not leave the room unless she saw her take it. She popped it in her mouth and drank. Catherine took the glass and left the room. Once Catherine was out of sight, Sara took the pill out of her mouth and put it under her pillow.

Catherine met Grissom in the living room. He had spoken with Doc before he left and by the look on his face, he was very worried about Sara. She wondered if he was also worried about the baby.

"I gave her the sleeping pill and she should be asleep soon. I don't mind staying through the rest of my shift. I have a pretty cool supervisor who won't mind fudging a time report." Catherine walked into the kitchen and began looking for something to drink.

"I made some coffee; I also had Doc to drop off the reports on my desk and some other paperwork so we can sit here and fill these out and there won't be any need to fudge on that time sheet."

Catherine made a face but she really didn't mind. She needed something to keep her busy. Grissom had already checked with the office and there had been no new cases.

"Catherine, did you actually watch Sara take the pill?"

"Yes. Why?"

"When she was a child, she used to hide medicine in her cheek. She would drink a whole glass of water and still manage to hide the medicine from her mother."

Catherine thought about Sara's reluctance to take it since she was afraid she would harm the baby. "Good grief. Be right back."

Catherine returned to the room but Sara was fast asleep. Catherine closed the door again and entered the kitchen.

"Well, she's fast asleep."

Just as Doc had promised, he had Sara's prescriptions delivered. Sara began to stir a little so Catherine took the opportunity to give her the remaining prescriptions. Sara took them obediently and the fell back to sleep.

Catherine and Grissom worked on the reports for several hours. Once they were completed, Catherine used her cell to check on some cases in the lab. She knew the guys would be worried about Sara and so she gave them update giving them the same information that was contained on Doc's report. She wasn't about to let the guys know about the pregnancy.

Grissom busied himself with something on Sara's computer. When there wasn't much else to do, Catherine came and stood over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm taking a crash course in biology. I want to know everything there is to know about Sara's pregnancy and what to expect. She is going to need me and I don't intend to let her down this time." Catherine was touched by Grissom's need to protect Sara.

"You're going to make a great dad. Not sure about the spouse part though."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"What happened between the two of you?"

"I already told you that. Me."

"Gil, seriously, perhaps it would help to talk about it."

Grissom looked at the computer screen. "Lady Heather."

Catherine had suspected as much and punched Grissom on the arm before she could stop herself. The punch caught him off guard but he smiled.

"That was Sara's reaction also only it hurt much worse."

"Well, tell me what did you and Lady Heather do that made her dump you?" Before Grissom could answer, Catherine hit him again. This time it was harder.

"That hurt."

"I can't believe you cheated on Sara with that floozy queen of leather."

"I didn't say I cheated on her…. And I didn't so don't look at me like that Ms. Willows."

"I remember Sara saying that she would never stay with a man if he cheated on her. I can't imagine Sara ever walking away from you unless you did just that."

Grissom started to say something but then lost his train of thought. That had been happening a lot lately.

"What do you mean by that? You didn't know about us until I told you this afternoon."

"Oh come on Grissom, everyone knows that Sara has been pining away for you for years. We even thought that you guys were finally going to get together after she was held at knife point by that psycho Adam but then all of a sudden you guys were back to avoiding each other again."

"I did admit my feelings to Sara that night after I had driven her home. She was visibly shaken by the threat on her life and that was the first night we…"

"So what happened?"

"I spent the night with Lady Heather."

Again came the punch but this time Grissom had moved a little so it didn't hurt as much. "I'm going to write you up if you do that again."

"I'm going to tell the guys what you did and they are going to punch you, Grissom!"

"Catherine, I spent the night with Lady Heather but I didn't have sex with her. She was recovering from the attack that she had orchestrated in order for her grandchild to collect on her life insurance policy."

"I didn't know that."

"No, that didn't get written in the report. There was no need after what later happened."

"But wait, Sara didn't seem to be jealous of Lady Heather. I recall talking to her about how I thought that Lady Heather was the only woman that I had ever encountered that got under your skin."

"I came here one night from working late. Sara was expecting me for dinner but I had been struggling with a migraine all day and had decided I would stop in long enough to let her know I had decided to spend the night at my place. I no sooner walked in the door then she is attacking me with accusations about Lady Heather."

"I tried to change the subject because I didn't want to discuss my relationship with Lady Heather that night but she wouldn't budge."

Grissom got up from the computer desk and sat down on the couch. Catherine followed. "Go on."

"My head was pounding and before I knew it I was telling she was the root of my migraines. I rarely got them until I began my secret relationship with her."

Catherine sucked in air. "I bet that went over well."

"She insisted that we talk about Lady Heather. I was simply not in the mood or the frame of mind so I admitted there was something between Lady Heather and myself and that I had spent the night at her place. The next thing I know Sara is punching me."

Catherine gave him one of her "I can't believe you can be so smart and be so dumb" looks again. She was really beginning to irritate him.

"I told her I didn't make love to Lady Heather."

"Wait. Did you also tell her, you didn't have sex with Lady Heather?"

"I… no" Grissom hung his head. He was a geek. He had been in the lab too many years to not have figured this out sooner. Of course that was what Sara had thought.

"Catherine, I'm a geek."

Catherine felt sorry for the man. Grissom just didn't know how to communicate sometimes. It's amazing he had been able to tell Sara about his true feelings.

"Gil, you can work this out. This is just a simple misunderstanding."

"There's more." Catherine then hung her head down in disgust.

"I'm going to need something stronger than coffee."

"We said some things we never should have said."

"I'm afraid to ask, but let's hear it word for word."

"Sara said she wouldn't live with a man she couldn't trust and then I said I couldn't live with a woman who didn't know what trust was and jumped to conclusions before she had seen the evidence."

"Bet you got punched again."

"She had me so mad that I said the worse thing I could say." Catherine groaned.

"I told Sara it was a mistake. We never should have crossed the line."

"Well, that will do it. Anything more?"

"I told her I was tired of hiding our relationship from everyone. I am not the cloak and dagger kind. A couple of times we almost got caught in a restaurant together and sooner or later we were going to mess up."

"I was just getting used to us when this disagreement occurred. I wasn't ready for our first fight. I didn't know there were rules to be played by and so when I lost my temper, I lashed out at her."

"She told me I wouldn't be able to find real love if it was lying at my feet. She told me she was tired of trying to get me to come around only to have me turn her away."

Catherine was holding her head. "Tell me there isn't anything else."

"I told her I hated her."

Catherine sat quietly while Grissom stared at the closed bedroom door. "Did you mean it?"

"Of course not. What I meant to say was that I hated the way she made me feel that I could never go back to the old Grissom anymore. That person was gone and now all that is left is this poor smuck who spends his days trying to find ways to be around her, to watch her, to see how she is spending her day, to chance a slight touch here and there."

"Now, you're sounding like a stalker. No, you sound like Greg."

Catherine patted his arm. She knew that he was very remorseful for what he had done. "Grissom, why haven't you told her this?"

"Because she told me she hated me also. She looked me straight in the eye Catherine and never flinched. Those words cut to the bone."

"It was self preservation! Gil we have got to work on your skills in the romance department."

"Sara never complained."

"Okay. I can't go there." Catherine got up and started rummaging through the fridge.

"Need help with something?"

"I need a beer."

"We're still technically on the clock."

"Gil."

"There isn't any. Sara doesn't keep any around since she was stopped one night and almost got a DUI."

"Okay my brain is on overload right now and this shift needs to end soon. I'm going to call in and check on a couple for cases. Is there anything you want to me to check on as well?"

"You need to be going home soon. Check on Sara and see if she is awake. You can tell Sara that I am here because of the medical report and that I need to talk with her. Perhaps you could put in a good word for me before I go in to see her?"

"Gil, if she gets upset, you may need to put off this talk at least for a couple more days."

"I'm not going to put Sara's or the baby's health in jeopardy."

Catherine left the room and sat down on the bed beside Sara. Sara felt her presence and slowly began to stir.

"How do you feel?"

"Better."

"I thought I heard voices."

"You did. It's Grissom. He brought the medical report over a little while ago. Sara, he's miserable. He has spent the last couple of hours walking the floor. He is very concerned about you. He told me what happened but what you don't understand is that he never had sex with Lady Heather."

"Grissom talked to you about his sex life?"

"Yes and that should give you some insight on how desperate he is to made amends with you."

"But Lady Heather came by the office looking for Grissom and she mentioned to me that Grissom's has a scar on his …"

"Okay, I know way too much info on Grissom right now but it wouldn't surprise me that Gil somehow told Lady Heather about the scar and she used that information to see how you would react. I think she suspected Grissom was having a relationship with you and wanted to find out."

Sara started to sit up in the bed but she was still too weak. She laid back down on the pillow and closed her eyes.

"How is the nausea?"

"It's better. I'm not hugging the porcelain God yet which is good but I still get a little woozy. It may be from the lack of eating."

"You have to eat something Sara."

"I actually think I have an appetite."

"How about I go back, make you some breakfast and then I will send Grissom in. I have to be leaving soon but he volunteered to stay. I wasn't sure how you would react to that. I can come back soon. I just need to make sure Lindsey got off to school and get a change of clothes."

"No, Catherine it was sweet of you to stay with me last night. I will be fine. I think Grissom and I need to talk but I'm not sure if I'm up to it right now. I don't need the stress and I'm not going to let him get to me anymore. It's not good for the baby."

"He knows how sick you are." Sara began to tense. Had she told Grissom about the baby?

"Sara, I haven't told Grissom anything about the baby. He is only going by what is on your medical report."

"Oh." Sara seemed relieved.

Catherine smiled and left the room, where she faced Grissom once more. "We have a problem."

"Is Sara okay?"

"Sara is fine. How does Lady Heather know about a certain scar on your body? And no, I don't know nor do I care to know where that scar is but it must be in a personal location for that to upset Sara."

Grissom grimaced. Lady Heather! He was beginning to question their friendship. The night he had stayed at her home, he had gotten up and taken a shower. Lady Heather had walked in on him. It was brief exposure but more than he wanted to share with her. Catherine told him about the conversation Lady Heather had with Sara that day in the office. He suddenly wanted to choke Lady Heather himself. The final piece of the puzzle was now in place. That was what had set off Sara. The thought that he and Lady Heather were being intimate caused her to question their relationship. He would have done the same thing if another man had mentioned Sara's birth mark to him. He was ready to make things right and he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Grissom opened the door and quietly stepped in. He waited for Sara to say something but when there was no response he softly walked over and sat down beside her. She appeared to have fallen back to sleep so he just sat there and watched her sleep. She was so pale and looked very vulnerable.

She slowly began to stir and then her body stiffened. She instantly opened her eyes and stared into his.

"I love you."

Grissom had done it. He had never said those words to her. He always thought that his actions spoke more that his words could ever get across to Sara. She wiped at her eyes and then closed them.

"You don't mean it."

"Sara, I have never said that to another woman."

"Never?"

"I was waiting for the right one to come along."

Sara opened her eyes and again searched his face. She only saw remorse and regret. She smiled a little and then remembered Lady Heather's conversation. Her guard was back up as quickly as she had lowered it.

Grissom knew what she was thinking and immediately began to say the things he should have said that night.

"Sara, I'm a geek. I have spent too many years alone and I don't deserve you. I get angry when I'm tired. I don't like for my moral character to be questioned. I have never and would never ever touch another woman. You are the only person I want. I had been trying to get used to our relationship. You make me very happy and I thought I did the same for you. I didn't like

hiding it from everyone. I was going to talk with you about that at dinner that night but then the migraine started and I couldn't seem to find the right words to let you know how I feel. I thought I could go home, rest up and then propose to you the next night."

Sara's mouth fell open. Did she just hear a proposal from Grissom? He picked her hand up and kissed it.

"I didn't get the opportunity to do that because of our fight. The night I stayed at Lady Heather's home I did so out of friendship and nothing more. That morning I took a shower and she walked in on me. An innocent mistake, at least I think so. Nothing has ever happened between us and nothing ever will. Catherine told me about your brief meeting with her at the office and I don't blame you for thinking that something might have happened. If Greg ever knew about your birth mark…"

"I'm sorry Grissom."

"I didn't come here for an apology. Some of the things you said were true. I have reached out to you in the past only to turn you away. I was struggling with my inner demons Sara. I didn't want to take the chance to fall in love with you and then you realize how much a geek I am and then dump me. I can't take rejection Sara. I am new at this relationship thing and Catherine is trying to explain to me about the rules of fair fighting. I can promise you I will try very hard not to say things in anger. I never mean to hurt you but it seems I do that a lot."

For Grissom to admit these things to Sara meant they had crossed another bridge in their relationship. The tension from the last several months seemed to leave her body and she suddenly felt very tired.

Grissom could sense she was tiring so he smoothed the covers and kissed her cheek.

"I want you to get well Sara. When they called me and told me you had collapsed, I thought I couldn't breathe. I don't want to waste anymore time. I will crawl, beg or do whatever it takes to get you to forgive me and earn your love again."

"You never lost it." Sara had begun to cry and it unnerved Grissom. He scooped her up in his arms and held her.

"Grissom"

"What?"

"Greg knows about my birthmark."

"How?"

"I told him. When he was in the hospital after that beating. I tried to cheer him up so I told him about my birthmark."

"You're a good friend Sara."

Catherine tapped on the door and was pleased to see them embracing.

"Okay you two. Break it up Sara needs to eat."

Catherine placed the tray onto the bed and handed Sara the utensils. "Not a lot this morning. We'll see how you do this morning and then slowly introduce you to something more."

Sara did seem hungry so she took the toast and began to eat. Both of them stared at her.

"What?'

Grissom just smiled and said "Do you want us to place a trash can near the bed just in case the virus isn't over yet?"

Sara just made a face and continued to eat.

Catherine said her goodbyes and left. Grissom returned the empty tray to the kitchen but by the time he had returned to the bedroom, Sara was fast asleep. She slept for hours. Every now and then Grissom would walk into the room and stand at her bedside and check her breathing. She hadn't moved. She was finally getting the rest she needed. His shift would be starting soon but he had already called in and taken a couple of days off. He made sure that no one was to contact Sara from the office for the next two weeks. He knew that Ecklie was not going to like that but he didn't care. Hours continue to tick by and Grissom went into the bedroom to wake Sara. She had been sleeping for 10 hours and he knew she needed to eat.

He had fixed some bland soup in hopes that she would continue to keep down the nourishment. She was reluctant to wake up but he would not accept no for an answer. She finished off her meal and then it occurred to her that she needed to take her medication. She couldn't ask Grissom for it since he would see the prenatal vitamins and put two and two together.

It dawned on him what she was thinking and he quickly spoke up.

"Catherine put your medicine in the nightstand so I will leave you to take that if you promise to take it and not hide it like you did when you were a child."

Sara smiled and then remembered the sleeping pill under her pillow. She had been right. She didn't need it. She reached under her pillow and handed the pill to Grissom.

"I didn't think I needed the sleeping pill that Doc gave me so I kept it just in case."

Grissom chuckled as he returned the tray to the kitchen. His phone rang.

"Grissom"

"Grissom, Ecklie is looking for you" warned Warrick.

"What does he want?"

"Sara"

"Didn't he get a copy of the medical report?"

"Yep. He also noticed who completed the report and he thinks something fishy is going on. How's Sara?"

"She's better. What are you doing in the office? The shift doesn't start for a couple of hours?"

"We're taking turns covering for Sara. I'm working the remainder of the first shift today followed by Nick, Greg and then Catherine." Grissom made a mental note to personally thank his staff in person.

"Warrick, have Greg come by Sara's apartment before his shift so he can sit with Sara for a couple of hours. Sara can't be left alone and I need to take care of something at the office."

"You'll make his day" laughed Warrick. Grissom smiled and hung up. He could trust Greg to keep an eye on Sara and make sure she followed the doctor's orders.

Greg arrived much earlier than Grissom wanted to leave but he figured he might as well run into the office before Sara woke up for dinner. She had drifted back to sleep after lunch and again had not moved much while she slept. Sara was a traveler in the bed. She often tossed and turned and Grissom had grown accustomed to constant movement. Her lack of movement only proved just how exhausted she really was.

Grissom grilled Greg on what not to let Sara do and what he shouldn't do.

"I know. I know. Don't let Sara get out of bed for any reason other than go to the bathroom. I can assist but don't peek. Sara will punch me if I do. Don't go through her personal effects and don't let anyone bother her. You can count on me Grissom."

"I wouldn't have put you on the job if I didn't think so, Greg."

This made Greg feel really good and he flopped down on the couch. His eyes wandered over to Sara's computer. Grissom saw the look.

"Stay off of Sara's computer. No snooping Greg."

Greg's shoulders slumped. He knew that Sara would be the type to keep a computer diary. He wandered what she had written and about whom?

"Greg.."

"I won't."

Again with that, Grissom left. He made his rounds through the lab and checked on all of the open cases stopping to get updates on each of them. He then went to his office and collected the latest paperwork that needed to be done. He and Catherine had knocked out a lot of it and thanks to her he was current again. Ecklie walked into the room with Doc behind him.

"Where is my…"

"She's not yours, she mine and she will never be yours!"

Ecklie could see he had a fight on his hands and he was beginning to feel as though this had been some sick set up by Sidle. She had come in an outsider to the first shift and now they worshipped her. They went to her for case direction and he knew that it would be hell with her gone.

"I want to hear from both of you about this medical report." Ecklie was all but seething. Grissom had heard from the office grapevine that his staff was already about to mutiny because Sara was not there.

"Ecklie, what seems to be the problem? Can't you read?"

"Look Grissom if you think I am going to think for a moment that Robbins is Sara's physician then you both have been sniffing the formaldehyde too long."

"I have cared for Sara Sidle for years and I will be happy to put that in any deposition. What I will not tolerate is a bullying supervisor who thinks he can pull rank on the professional medical opinion of an employee's physician." Doc Robbins came and stood beside Grissom. It was Grissom's turn now.

"Why don't we go upstairs and discuss what's been going on with the management of your staff. Let's talk about how Sara volunteered for a short term assignment that has dragged out for almost 4 months now and she is physically exhausted. You have had her out on a crime scene with no back up. We both know that is against office policy. You were putting her at risk. She also has been supervising the entire team on top of handling her own shift. It stops now. Her physician told me she is to have bed rest with no office contact for two weeks and she is going to get that. When the two weeks are up, He can assess her health again and we will decide if Sara needs to return to work. I saw her this morning and I doubt she is going to be in any shape to return soon. Wouldn't you agree with me Doc?"

"100" smiled Doc. He enjoyed seeing Ecklie squirm and Grissom had him good.

"Fine."

"By the way, my staff has already stepped up and is covering the other shift until you can find the replacement. I have been spending the last couple of weeks working with the Academy and there are two persons who will be able to start next month. They are new but they can shadow some of my staff and then there should be no problem with placing them on the day shift. What I won't have is my staff doing your job. If your group needs direction, they go to you. Understood?"

Ecklie again sneered and left the room. Doc smacked Grissom on the back and chuckled. "I have been waiting for someone to put him in his place but I never thought I would get the enjoyment of actually seeing it."

"Doc, what would you have done if he called your bluff on the deposition?"

"What? I didn't lie. I have always cared for Sara. She's like family. He never asked me to elaborate."

Grissom smiled. He picked up his paperwork and headed back to Sara's.

Grissom was tired. He had not slept much in the last couple of days and he needed to sleep as well. Greg had reluctantly left but offered to come by each morning so Grissom could go into the office for a few hours.

Grissom opened the door and check in on Sara. Her color was beginning to return to her cheeks and her face looked peaceful. Grissom stared at the couch and then his side of the bed. He gently laid down on the bed and closed his eyes. It felt strange being so close to Sara but not touching her.

He rolled over onto his side and placed his hand on her stomach. She stirred a little but her breathing became even again and he knew that she had drifted back into a deep sleep. He smiled at the thought of having a child with Sara. He had never dreamed he would get the opportunity to be a father. His chest swelled with emotion and he fought back the lump in his throat. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Sara felt something warm on her stomach. She abruptly woke up and rose out of bed. It was Grissom. His hand had been on her stomach. She was relieved he had gotten some sleep. She was getting worried about the hours he had been keeping. Grissom was not used to going without sleep. She tried to gently move herself off the bed without waking him but as she began to stand, his hand reached out and grabbed her by the arm.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Grissom, I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you but I need to go to the bathroom and I am in desperate need of a shower."

Grissom rose to his feet and came around to her side of the bed. He assisted her to the bathroom and once he thought she was fine standing on her own, he closed the door. This wasn't the first time he had helped her to the porcelain throne as she begun to call it. Each time she refused to go until he turned his back and stepped half way out of the room.

"Sara, there is nothing I haven't already seen."

She had given him one of her looks and he just chuckled and did as he was told. He would do anything for her, he mused. He had better not let her find this out too quickly. He was getting the hang of this relationship thing and it didn't seem to scare him anymore.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the shower and he peeked in to see that she was okay. He then gasped at the sight before him. Greg was right. Sara was thin. Sara didn't seem to notice the intrusion but proceeded to step into the shower. Grissom grabbed her hand and assisted her. She looked at him again and smiled.

"Sara, I'll be in the kitchen." Without another word, he left the room. He called Doc on the phone.

"Grissom, what's the matter? Something wrong with Sara?"

"She needs to put on a lot of weight. Did you notice the weight loss."

Robbins frowned. "Yes I did. Grissom there is protein shake that you can make up that's given to cancer patients. It should do the trick. I'll send the recipe over by email."

Grissom checked on Sara and then went over to check his laptop. He opened the email and then began to make a grocery list. Greg was happy to run the errand. He was reluctant to leave since he wanted to pop in and say hello to Sara but Grissom refused him entry.

"Sorry Greg. She's resting again."

Sara had finished her shower and had returned to bed just as she had promised. Just the energy it took to take the shower, exhausted her and she was back to sleep as if she had never gotten up.

She felt a nudge at her arm but she didn't want to wake. It was so nice in this dream stage. She tried to brush off the annoyance but it was persistent.

"Sara, you have to wake up and eat something."

Grissom. She opened her eyes and saw that he was holding something.

"What is that?"

"It's a protein shake. I made this for you at the instruction of your physician and he told me you are to drink 3 of these each day in addition to your regular meals." Grissom liked this thought Sara. Giving her orders and she had no choice but to be obedient.

She took the glass and began to drink. To his surprise, she did not complain. She finished off the drink and handed the glass back to him.

"Do I get any reward for being a good patient?"

Grissom gave her a long lingering kiss and she wrapped her arms around him. It had been so long since he had kissed her like that. She didn't want it to end with just a kiss but then she remembered the baby. The cramps had not been as bad and she started to feel more hopeful. Grissom pulled away and kissed her on the forehead.

"That's all you will get until you are cleared with your OB…" He caught himself but it was too late. He had slipped up and he could see the hurt in Sara's eyes.

"You know."

"Sara..." He tried to comfort her but she shoved his hand away. The tears were already streaming down her face. How could she be so stupid as to think that he had come back willingly? Catherine had told him or he had gotten Doc to confess. It didn't matter how he found out. It was his farce at letting her believe he didn't know that hurt the most.

"Get Out."

"Sara."

"I said get out." Sara was now crying uncontrollably. She tossed the extra pillow at his head and motioned for the door.

His shoulders drooped and he proceeded to leave. His anger began to build. Dammit! He loved her and he was not about to let her throw up another wall over this. He didn't care about the baby. No, wait he didn't need to say it like that, He loved the baby as much as he loved Sara but what he needed her to know is that he had come crawling back because he loved her not because she was pregnant. He twirled around on his heels ready to do battle when he saw Sara rushing to the bathroom. He followed and held her head as she convulsed into the porcelain. He grabbed a damp washcloth and held it up to Sara's forehead. Sara was spent. She was weak and looked like a broken rag doll lying on the floor. He scooped her up and carried her to the bed. He fixed the covers around her. He reached into the night stand and took out one of the nausea pills and handed it to her. Sara took it with the glass of water sitting on the stand and closed her eyes. He left the room but returned with a pack of saltine crackers.

He handed her some and motioned for her to eat them. She reluctantly did so and they seemed to help. She couldn't look at him. She again asked him to leave but he refused.

"I'm not leaving. You're going to listen." He took his hand and turned her face so she had to look at him.

"Catherine had no choice but to tell me. She didn't see any way out of it. They all knew how upset I was when I had been told that you had collapsed at the crime scene. I brought Doc in on the scheme so that your secret would not be part of the office grapevine be the end of the shift. I had already confessed my love for you to Catherine. It was only then that she told me about the pregnancy. I didn't come in here and tell you that I loved you because of what Catherine had divulged to me. I would have done that no matter what."

Sara had begun to cry again.

"Sara, are you listening to me? I have always loved you. I have always wanted you. I need you. The fact that you are pregnant only means that there is more to love. Please Sara, don't shut me out!"

It was Grissom's turn to break down this time. Sara had never seen Grissom so emotional. She hugged him tightly to her and began to stroke her hand through his hair as if comforting a child.

"I'm sorry Grissom. I'm Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing again?"

"It's going to be my fault if I lose the baby." There is was out. Catherine had told him about Sara's guilt over how she had taken care of herself these last few months.

"Sara, I won't hear that. Promise me you will never talk like that again? If anyone is to blame it is me."

"You didn't…"

"We can sit here and blame ourselves or we can move on and focus on our child. Sara, we can do this."

"Are you happy about the baby?"

"Ask Catherine. I spent hours online taking a crash course on the female anatomy and finding out everything I could about your pregnancy."

"So you really are excited?"

"After the initial shell shock and the constant worry that you wouldn't take me back, yes Sara, I am very happy. Look at it as our little experiment. Do you realize that in just a couple of months, we are going to bring a child into this world that is a part of you and me?

"Well, I'm not sure I want to go around calling it an experiment Grissom." She smiled at him and let out a long yawn.

"Sleep Sara. I'm not going anywhere. The gang wants to come by in a couple of days so you need your rest."

"Gris.."

"Yeah"

"Could I have another one of those shakes?" Grissom frowned but obliged.

"They're really good."

He sat down on the bed again and waited for her to finish. He continued to sit there and just watch her.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm waiting to see if you need to visit the porcelain throne."

"I love you too." smiled Sara. Grissom returned her smile with a kiss. The future looked good.

The following week Grissom had held off the gang for as long as he could. They had asked to come by before their shift to visit with Sara. Grissom felt the company would do Sara some good. Sara was returning to herself. Already, she was trying to pump him for information about the lab and he had given strict rules that they were not to talk about the lab for any reason with Sara. Not even if she begged.

"Gil, please tell me what kind of new cases have come in."

"Sara, forget it. I am not going to discuss work with you."

"I'm getting bored."

"It's only been a week and the more I lie around the more I dwell on the upcoming OB appointment." Sara pouted as she rolled over onto her stomach.

She had been feeling much better. The cramps were gone and besides Grissom's constant "Sara, you have to eat" push, things were going well. Sara again looked pleadingly at Grissom. He loved it when she pouted.

"Sara, I told the gang they could come by to visit with you today."

"Really?" It was like watching a small child opening a present.

"I have to go into the office and check on the lab so they agreed to come by and keep you company until I can return. Promise me, you will behave?"

"I promise." He bent over to kiss her and then looked around the room.

"Sara"

"Yeah"

"You're messy!" Grissom began to pick up but by then the doorbell was ringing. Grissom opened the door to find the gang waiting excitedly.

"Hey Griss!" they shouted as they all stepped in the room.

Sara called from the next room and off they went.

"Hello…" Grissom was abandoned at the front door.

He shut the door and came to stand at the door. Greg had positioned himself in the bed beside Sara as the others sat on the end. Greg leaned over and smiled at Sara. "You know Sara, somehow I knew that someday I would be here beside you in your bed.."

Nick and Warrick chuckled. Catherine just looked at Sara and softly laughed. Grissom was not amused.

"Greg, you're in my place."

Greg's head shot up but then he realized that Grissom didn't seem to mind so he remained.

"Guys, remember the rules. I'll see you later." Grissom started to leave but then he turned around, walked over to Sara and kissed her on the lips.

"See you Honey."

The gang was speechless. Sara's cheeks turned crimson red.

"Sara, I think you're getting your color back."

"Bye hon." said Sara as she waived goodbye to Grissom.

Catherine, upon the request of Sara had taken the liberty of telling the guys about the couple's relationship. No one was surprised.

"I didn't think Grissom had it in him to let someone get close to him" said Warrick. "Sara, I'm glad that it was you."

Nick came over and hugged Sara. "I am real happy for you Sara."

"Me too" added Catherine.

Greg continued to sit beside Sara without saying a word. Sara looked at him. "What about you Greg?"

"I always knew." They smiled at each other and Sara kissed him on the cheek.

They began to laugh and Sara felt it could not get better than this. She truly loved these guys as her family. Grissom went through the routine of his duties at the office. He had requested some time off but agreed he would check in each day to ensure there were no problems. He could take a year off and still have plenty of time built up. He did not like being away from Sara. The thought made him chuckle. There was a time when he felt that way about the lab. He hurried to get everything done, picked up the paperwork and returned before the gang had to head off to start their shift.

When his key opened the door, there was complete silence. He looked around the place and someone had tidied the room and there was something cooking in the stove. He peered into the bedroom and was puzzled at what he saw. There was the gang all sitting around the bed. Each had a card stuck to their forehead. In the middle of the bed was a stack of saltine crackers.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Oh Honey, come and see how many crackers I've won. I'm good at this game" cried Sara.

"I suck" complained Nick.

"You don't have a poker face" said Warrick.

"Well, it seems us ladies are beating you boys." smiled Catherine.

Greg didn't seem to care he was losing as long as he still had his seat beside Sara.

"Okay gang. It's time to go to work." They reluctantly ended the game as Sara once more began to pout.

"Come back tomorrow, Guys and bring some more games."

Catherine looked at Grissom and scowled. "You don't look so good. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm just tired" sighed Grissom.

Warrick came over and patted him on the back. "Get some rest Gris. Catherine handed out assignments and put us to work when we got here and there's nothing for you to do but relax and enjoy your dinner."

"What assignments did Cath hand out?"

Nick smiled and looked at Catherine. "Well, I cooked dinner while Warrick cleaned up the kitchen and vacuumed. Catherine did the laundry and…"

"Greg did the bathroom" added Catherine with a chuckle.

"Wait a minute. Greg, you got toilet duty? What did you do to tick Catherine off?" wondered Grissom.

"I wanted to do the laundry but Catherine wouldn't let me touch Sara's unmentionables." This caused the whole group to laugh out loud. Even Sara giggled. Greg remained lying in the bed with Sara and didn't seem to mind that they were getting a laugh at his expense. He missed hearing Sara's laugh. Grissom came over to Sara and motioned for her to scoot over in the bed. Sara seemed a bit perplexed at his request but she scooted over closer to Greg.

"Uh Honey why don't you ask Greg to get out of your spot?"

"Dear, if he is going to clean the bathroom, I think I can share you."

The others stopped laughing and gawked at Grissom. Sara punched Grissom and Catherine smiled.

"Yep, a bed with two geeks and a brunette. Sounds just like Las Vegas to me." They all laughed. Grissom looked as Sara and breathed deeply. He could smell her hair. It was heaven.

The months started to fly by and with it more anticipation of the due date for Sara's baby. She and Grissom had secretly gotten the gang down to city hall for their wedding. Grissom had insisted that Sara have a wedding but Sara said she had everything she ever wanted already. She still recalled how nervous they were for the first ultrasound. They promised each other that no matter what transpired that day in the doctor's office they would hang onto their love. They both had tears of joy as they watched the monitor and the nurse pronounced it would be a girl. Grissom had secretly wished that it would be a girl although he told Sara that it didn't matter to him. Now they were only a few days away and Sara was… miserable.

"Grissom"

"Sara, you can't call me that anymore. May I remind you that's your name now as well."

"Gil, I want a snack."

"Sara, it's 3:00 in the morning. Go to sleep."

"I can't sleep. Please…"

Grissom knew that it would be impossible to go back to sleep as long as Sara was awake.

"Sara, your doctor didn't want you to gain anymore weight."

"The weight problem is your fault Griss… dear."

"How is it my fault?" He stared at her.

"All through my pregnancy, you have been pressing me to gain weight so now that I have everyone wants me to lose." Sara began to cry. Darn these hormones were driving her crazy. One minute she was ecstatic and the next she was weeping. Grissom pulled him into her arms.

"Sara, you're just anxious that's all. Pretty soon our experiment is going to be over."

"So you admit it, I've gotten fat." Grissom closed his eyes. Catherine had tried to tell about this part of the pregnancy but nothing had prepared him for this. He kissed Sara on the forehead and made her look into his eyes.

"Sara Grissom. I love you. How about a pickle? I think there may be one last jar hidden in the back of the fridge."

Sara punched him as he started to get up.

"You told me earlier we didn't have anymore."

"I was keeping them for an emergency." He climbed out of bed pulling Sara out with him. He walked over to the fridge and began looking.

"My back is killing me. A nice backrub would be nice. Could I have a glass of water?" Grissom handed her the glass and proceeded to search through the contents of the fridge. He wished he had not mentioned the pickles. If you wasn't able to find them, Sara would surely send him out to buy some more.

Then he felt the splash of the water upon the floor and groaned.

"Sara, how did you spill the water?" He leaned his head out of the fridge to stare at Sara.

"I didn't spill any water. I think my water just broke."

Sara began to hyperventilate. Grissom grabbed her arm and tried to make her sit down in a chair but Sara refused.

"I just cleaned those chairs and I'm not going to ruin them." Grissom rolled his eyes. He carried Sara to the bathroom and helped her change clothes.

"I think we need to go to the hospital." He then called the gang who was still at work.

"Catherine"

"Hey Grissom, what's up"

"Sara's water just broke and we're headed to the hospital."

By the time they arrived at the hospital, Sara was going into full term labor. He had called ahead and had a gurney waiting by the emergency room door so they could take Sara in. Sara was panicking.

"Sara, it's going to be fine. Women have been doing this since the beginning of time."

She grabbed his sleeve and pulled him down to her. She looked straight into his eyes and said:

"I hate you."

Grissom smiled and kissed her on the mouth. "I love you too."

The others had managed to get to the waiting room and stood to wave to Sara as they were preparing to take her to the delivery room. Greg came running up with the video camera.

"Grissom, I'm ready."

"He is not coming in here Grissom, do you hear me" cried Sara.

"Sara, you want to get it on video."

"Then give it to Brass" cried Sara.

Brass looked amazed that she would allow him access to such a private event but he stepped up to the plate.

"Hand me that camera." Brass took the camera and hurried after them.

An hour passed when Grissom returned to the waiting room carrying his newborn baby girl.

"Guys I want you to meet Sara Katherine Grissom" Catherine was speechless.

"Sara wants to call her Kat so Katherine with a K" Catherine still felt privileged.

Warrick and Nick looked around. Brass has not returned from the delivery room.

"Where's Brass?" asked Nick.

Grissom smiled and said "It seems Sara wanted Brass to video tape because she knew he would most likely pass out at the first push and he did just that." The room filled with laughter. It was great to have his family around to welcome Kat into the world. He gave the baby to the attending nurse and rushed back to be by Sara's side. Right where he always wanted to be.


End file.
